An ocean of posters went up ’round the art school: ‘Volunteers Wanted’. The year was 1999 and Melbourne’s Inaugural Biennale of Art needed our help. Our free help. Rich institutions like Melbourne Uni love crying poor. nat&ali couldn’t afford to work for free, we were already paying to learn but the laundry list of international […]
October
21
Sunset Clause
posted by Natalie Thomas
Sunset Clause is the first solo exhibition with Darren Knight Gallery by Melbourne based artist Natalie Thomas. Spanning a decades long creative practice, Sunset Clause showcases selected works from her extensive back catalogue alongside recent political posters and paintings. Poking and prodding round a withering cultural vernacular, famous names and faces abound. Narratives vie for attention, interwoven like […]
September
29
RISING on a Budget
posted by Natalie Thomas
In the days before you were born, RISING was called Melbourne Festival. A sedate affair, Melbourne Festival was where the dowagers and their corporate captains of industry husbands would celebrate themselves, at exclusive invitation only opening night soirees to the ballet and the theatre. There, the high-net-worth individuals might partake in the schmooze and compare […]
May
10
Tourism, Spectacle and Major Events
posted by Natalie Thomas
The first time I performed for a world televisual audience was as a child foot solider for imperialist propaganda. The year was 1982 and the occasion was the Opening Ceremony of ‘Brisbane’s ‘Commonwealth Games’ aka the ‘Stolenwealth Games’. This collision of tourism, spectacle and major event was opened by Prince Phillip and closed by the Queen and cemented […]
August
08
Natty Brings Her ‘A’ Game
posted by Natalie Thomas
Guy Rundle and I were drinking. Social interactions are my studio. About three drinks in, conversation strayed into the pseudo-philosophical terrain so beloved of the half-cut. Guy wanted to know if I was a pessimist or an optimist. I said it depended on how I’d woken up, how my body and brain felt that day. […]
May
11
Quilty: Sit down bitch. Be humble.
posted by Natalie Thomas
Ben Quilty is a Top Bloke. On this matter we’re encouraged to agree. From Grandmas to Returned Soldiers and Aid workers, from Prison Wardens to Diplomats, from Refugees to Prime Ministers and Media Moguls, from ambitious artists seeking advice on how to ‘make it’ to Gallery Directors and Trustees, Quilty attracts followers like a God. […]
November
28
Unwoke Money
posted by Natalie Thomas
Art Fairs are like orgies: a frenzy of writhing, twisted bodies all vying for best position, it’s difficult to know where to look or who did the good bits and by the end, you need a hot shower and another lie down. Part Fashions on the Field, part Disney on Ice, part mini-marathon, Art Fairs […]
August
30
Mother’s Museum
posted by Natalie Thomas
I’m in a dream. I am the ghost of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, originally of Rhode Island. From 1874 till 1948, I lived as few ever will: the advantaged and indulged life of a filthy rich American socialite and philanthropist. You might not have heard of me, but you’re living in my legacy. You’ve most probably […]
June
21
SODA_JERK: Challenging the Status Quo Illusion and Delusion in Australian Film
posted by Natalie Thomas
‘Change the culture, the stories, change people’s understanding of the world and you will change politics’ Ian Milliss The air crackles when artists first exhibit work that is joining the zeitgeist. It’s not about who was there or how many of us, it’s about a collective recognition that what has been produced and exhibited has […]
April
11
Finding the Field
posted by Natalie Thomas
The NGV need me. Well not me per se, more us. They need our help bless. ‘Do you have a pioneering abstract artwork hanging in your rumpus room or stacked in the garage?’ the NGV pleads via an expensive video callout, infomercial promo-thingo. Riffing off the incredibly popular formula of Antiques Road Show, the NGV […]
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